What part of Africa is made up of tropical grasslands and receives a moderate amount of rainfall?
savanna
Which city enabled Mali and Songhai to gain control of the gold-salt trade in West Africa?
Timbuktu
What enabled Axum to gain importance as trading kingdom in East Africa?
Its location between the Nile River and the Red Sea allowed it to gain control of trade in the region.
In West African society, who ranked just above traders in the social structure?
Kings and nobles
How did trade help early Africans develop advanced societies?
Could trade natural resources for items they needed
What TWO factors helped the leaders of Ghana to create a powerful empire?
Ironworking technology and controlling the gold-salt trade.
Why do people in Mali still revere or highly regard Sundiata?
He led a successful rebellion against Sumanguru and was considered a wise ruler, using an assembly of kings.
What is the name of stone structures used to honor Axum kings?
Stele
What are some common characteristics of most African religions?
Heavy use of rituals, shrines, and honoring ancestors.
Which African empires was Islam an important religion?
Mali and Songhai
Which rivers were important to West African civilizations?
The Niger and Senegal Rivers
Which West African ruler strengthened the influence of Islam by appointing Muslim judges and using Arabic as the language of government?
Askia Muhammad
What culture developed along the coast of East Africa that was heavily influenced by trade across the Indian Ocean?
Swahili
How do we know that Africa has a strong oral tradition?
Ancient African societies had professional storytellers or historians called griots
Which East African king converted to Christianity?
King Ezana
Salt, gold, and camels were important parts of what economic pursuit in the Empire of Ghana?
Trans-Saharan trade in West Africa
How did Mansa Musa make Timbuktu a center of Muslim culture and scholarship?
During his hajj, he brought so much gold in his caravan that he attracted the attention of Muslim scholars, artists, and teachers.
What event helped give Christianity a permanent place in Ethiopia?
The rise of the Zagwe dynasty
What do you call a strong connection based on extended family relationships?
kinship
How did Ghana rulers make sure that gold remained an important trade good?
They controlled or regulated the gold supply through taxation and ownership (mining) laws